The present invention relates in particular to a crimping system comprising a crimping clamp and a tool for positioning a contact—a pin or a connector—for crimping to the end of a conductor wire, the crimping clamp and the positioning tool being capable of being releasably (reversibly) secured to each other, as described in particular in patent GB-1 385 426.
The invention applies in particular to such a system in which the clamp is fitted with a force sensor that is sensitive to the crimping force, the system further including a data processor unit connected to the clamp to control it, to deliver thereto signals/data conveying information useful for a crimping operation that is to be performed, and/or for receiving data/signals therefrom conveying information relating to a crimping operation in progress (or that has already been performed).
Such systems are described in the following patents: EP-0 415 834, EP-0 873 582, and DE-U-29 806 179.
The invention relates in particular to systems in which the crimping tool—the clamp—has a plurality of crimping punches that are movable in translation in housings of a punch carrier, which housings extend radially relative to an axis along which the conductor and the pin for crimping are to extend, as described in patents EP-0 415 831 and EP-0 873 582.
In those tools, a thrust member comprising a ring having a profiled inside face—acting as a cam—co-operates with the outer ends of the punches and is mounted to pivot about said axis relative to the punch carrier. Pivoting of the thrust member relative to the punch carrier causes the punches to move centripetally and thus causes a contact that is “clamped” in this way between a plurality of pairs of punches to be crimped.
The invention applies in particular to a crimping clamp that does not include a motor and that comprises:                a tool body comprising two handles/arms that are pivotable (manually) about said axis to cause mutual pivoting between the thrust member and the punch carrier; and        a (manual) adjustment member, e.g. a thumb wheel or a slider, for adjusting the stroke of the punches, and consequently the depth of the crimping, for a determined—maximum—stroke of the handles of the clamp.        
Known crimping systems do not make it possible to avoid the defects that might occur, and in particular: i) from using a clamp having a crimping mechanism that, as a result of wear, no longer complies with the required standard for crimping accuracy; ii) from using a positioner that does not correspond to the contact, to the conductor wire, to the clamp, to the set of punches in the clamp, and/or to the stroke of the punches; iii) from incorrectly adjusting the crimping parameters; iv) from poor quality contacts; v) from a cable of the wrong gauge; vi) from defective stripping; and/or vii) from poor positioning of the wire/cable.
Known crimping systems do not make it possible to detect all of the above defects, and some of them require destructive testing to be performed.